


Wicked Games

by Tristiahna



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Character Death, Emotional Manipulation, M/M, Mind Games, Psychological Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-01-11 08:34:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tristiahna/pseuds/Tristiahna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was nights like these, boring and quiet, when Akashi's true colors really began to show. One would assume it was just a game, right, but never the less, with Akashi making up the rules, they all begin to get the feeling that he has darker intentions. AU based. {Extended Hiatus}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ready, Set, Threat!

**Author's Note:**

> The electric shock guns used in the story actually exist. The electric knives do not, as far as I know, but they are based off the concept of various other electric toys. (Such as electric shock pens.)

Every year, since the beginning of middle school, the Generation of Miracles would venture to one of the Akashi’s vacation homes. The one they always chose was located in the woodlands allowing them isolation. Akashi insisted they should get away from everything so they always put aside a week to venture from home. They considered it a special training camp for them specifically, and Akashi seemed to favor the idea of getting them to train away from the other members. It was a good idea honestly, and the court in the backyard was of descent size, but when evening rolled around it left them with very little to do. Normally they would train on the court with the outdoor lights or find some exercises to do inside. However, by the evening of their final night Akashi was particularly bored of this routine and decided to forgo it.

“Oi! Moron, give that back!” Aomine scolded as Kise yanked a chip bag from his hands.

“Ah Aominicchi, why don’t you share?” Kise asked mockingly while taking a handful of the bag’s contents.

Aomine let out of scoff and aggressively shoved Kise off the sofa which they were both sitting on and Kise cried out in shock and hit the ground with a thud.

“You’re such a brute!” Kise said while throwing the bag at Aomine.”

“Would you two please calm down, you’re being terribly annoying.” Midorima stated while not looking up from his nails as he filed them.

Aomine rolled his eyes.

“We only have one more day here, we shouldn’t kill each other unless completely necessary.” Kuroko’s deadpan tone startled Kise who had landed next to the phantom player.

“How long have you been there!?” Kise asked.

“Most of the night, you were the one who landed next to me.” Kuroko answered blankly.

Midorima sighed from across the room.

Akashi stood at the edge of the living room watching the commotion. “I see we are quite wound up tonight.”

The groups’ attention quickly turned to the red-head.

“Just those two, as usual.” Murasakibara commented while finishing off with whatever snack he had acquired.

“I see. Well, I am in no mood to sit around so why don’t we play a game?” Akashi proposed.

“We’re not in middle school anymore, Akashi.” Aomine commented.

“Well then we’ll just have to make the game more ‘mature’.” Akashi smirked. “You can even consider it part of your training, endurance training, that is.”

That got their attention.

“Remember that game we played back in middle school? Man-hunt?” Akashi questioned as he reached for two cases near the TV.

“Where we chased each other through the woods near sun down?” Midorima questioned.

“Indeed.” Akashi smiled while laying the cases before his team. “How about we take it up a step since ‘we aren’t in middle school anymore.’? He did not need an answer from them. “Like in the past we will be split in to two teams and one team will do the chasing and the other will be chased. The two teams will be referred to as the victims and the perpetrators.” Akashi began explaining.

Everyone listened intently and with great curiosity as Akashi began changing the game. Back in middle school they played man-hunt often, which usually lead to someone crying or quitting due to anxiety. It was silly honestly, to get so worked up over a game that was much like tag, but that never stopped them from getting the feeling that they were actually being hunted.

“However here is the catch, unlike basic man-hunt where we used our hands, we will use weapons.” Akashi stated while flicking open the cases.

Everyone went wide-eyed in horror.

“You have to be kidding me!” Aomine called out when he examined the contents of the case.

One case contained three small guns while the other contained what seemed to be knives.

“What is it? Are you afraid?” Akashi eyed Aomine. “They’re not real weapons, if that is what you’re worried about.” He pulled out a gun.

The tension in the room quickly escalated.

“It’s an electric shock laser gun. If you are shot with it, you get an electric shock sent through your body.” He put it down and pulled out one of the knives. “Same with these, they’re electric shock knives. They contain springs, so when you stab someone with it, the blade retracts giving the simulation of stabbing while also delivering an electric shock.”

Everyone just stared in disbelief and Akashi sighed.

“At random we will pull paper out of a bag, if you get a red one you are the perpetrator, if you get a green one you are the victim. After the teams are established you will choose your victim, and give a false reason as to why you are targeting them and this reason becomes relevant within the game. The perpetrator will hide your knife in one of the rooms in the house and you have two minutes to find it and get out. You will then head in to the woods to make things more difficult. After those two minutes your attacker will then pursue you, and he is the one who bares the gun. Here’s the catch, if your attacker corners you, you can beg for mercy. If the attacker grants you mercy, you must act out one request they have, whatever it may be. After they grant you mercy, they should allow you at least sixty seconds to flee. To keep the game realistic, the begging and requests should be based around the reason as to why you are being targeted in the first place. If the victim is shot, they are then allowed sixty seconds to run again. You can shoot them how many times you please once you corner them, but the game doesn’t end until you shoot them on three different occasions. Meaning you have to let them run again and catch them once more for another shot to be counted. Same goes for the perpetrator; they can be stabbed however many times you wish, but the game doesn’t end till they’re stabbed on three different occasions. Is everything clear so far?” Akashi glanced around the room.

“I am about ready to quit just considering it.” Kise commented, already uneasy by the game and they had not even started. He was always the one to cry back in middle school during man-hunt. It did not help that half the time they all ganged up on him or left him in the dark.

“Aww, scared already?” Aomine mocked, not wanting to admit the idea did not sit well with him either.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, it’s going to be completely dark soon.” Midorima commented.

“I think you’re all just too scared. Ah such a shame, I had no idea I was captaining a team of frightened girls.” Akashi said with a sigh.

“Sounds terrifying and painful-” Kuroko began. “-but I really want to do it.”

“Are you for real!?” Kise whipped around to stare at Kuroko.

“Honestly, as long as I’m not the victim, it sounds like fun.” Murasakibara said while opening a bag of chips.

“It’s settled then, we’ll all play. And as some added motivation the losers training is doubled for the next three months.” Akashi said while pulling a bag out of one of the cases. “Shall I pull first?” He said questioned.

“Wait, I didn’t consent to this.” Aomine said with a growl. “I’m tired.”

Akashi glared up at him. “Like I said, it’s part of your training. If you don’t participate you automatically lose. I will make sure, when we return home, to triple your training schedule, instead of doubling, for the next five months.”

Aomine grimaced. “Fine.”

Akashi pulled out a slip of paper before passing the bag around the group.

“Open your paper and state your role.” Akashi said while opening his.

“Victim.” Kuroko said bluntly.

“Victim.” Midorima sighed.

“Perpetrator!” Aomine breathed out, relieved.

“Perpetrator.” Murasakibara said while tossing the paper.

“Victim.” Kise mumbled, upset with the outcome.

Akashi smiled; it was just the way he wanted it. “Obviously, that makes me a perpetrator.” He gestured for everyone to stand up. “I will pick first. Kuroko, you’re mine.” He said with a glance that sent chills down Kuroko’s spine. “My reason? If I can’t have you, nobody can.”

Kuroko felt a rush through his body and something told him Akashi wasn’t kidding.

“I want Ryouta.” Aomine chimed in. “Because pretty boy has an admirer that he failed to acknowledge.”

“That’s not funny! You know I had an aggressive stalker last summer!” Kise scolded.

“I suppose that leaves me with Shintarou.” Murasakibara complained.

“As if you would have been happy with anyone else.” Midorima scoffed.

“I suppose my reasoning is… I hate you.” Murasakibara added.

“How am I suppose to work with that!?” Midorima yelled.  
Murasakibara just shrugged.

“Good. So, we’re all set.” Akashi stated. “I will hide Kuroko’s knife in the kitchen, Murasakibara hide Midorima’s in the living room, and Aomine hide Kise’s in the dining room. Kuroko, Kise, and Midorima, go wait in my bedroom, when we are done we will meet you back there.

Everyone did as they were told.

* * *

 

After the others were done hiding their knives, Akashi flicked off the main lights, only allowing a lamp in each room to remain on. He then made his way back to the bedroom where everyone had gathered and casually turned off the bedroom light as he entered.

“Ah! No!” Kise cried out, not wanting to start the game out in the dark.

Aomine chuckled. “Don’t be such a baby.”

Akashi closed the door. “You’ll run when I say three, no sooner than that. Understand?”

The victims agreed.

“It’s late at night, you’re home alone, and your parents are away on a business trip and won’t be home till the morning. It’s a normal evening and you think nothing of your surroundings.” Akashi began setting a scenario, his voice low and sinister sending chills down everyone’s spine. “You are in your bedroom studying when suddenly you hear a faint noise coming from somewhere in the house. Naturally you tense up. No one should be home so you pass it off as just the wind. As you begin to calm down you hear a loud bang, like a window slamming shut. You don’t remember leaving any windows open and instinctively shoot up from your desk. Out of curiosity you creep out of your room and glance down the hall only to catch a glimpse of movement before it disappears. You panic. Could it be…  _him_? Not knowing what else to do you dash towards a room, which holds a weapon and frantically search for its concealed place. Damn your father for hiding sharp objects as if you were a child. Your intruder has become aware of your presence, and not wanting to risk getting caught, you decide to flee in to the woods in hope that you can lose him. Unfortunately he came armed with a gun and with intent to kill. To your horror he follows you outside and in to the woods. Hurry, hurry, you must find help, or you’ll be left dead in the dark.” Akashi whispered the final words.

“One, two, three!” He counted off and the victims dashed out the door.

Akashi laughed lightly.

“Was that necessary?” Murasakibara asked casually.

“No, but it got you all wound up, did it not?” Akashi stated while handing them their electric guns.

* * *

Midorima found his knife quickly and was out the door within a few seconds. Thankfully Murasakibara was lazy and did not put much effort in to hiding it and simply stuck it under a pillow. Kise was not too far behind him, he knew Aomine too well, and found his knife shoved far back in to a drawer in the china cabinet. Kuroko unfortunately was not having the same luck. Of course Akashi would make it hard on him.

“One minute warning!” Akashi called out; well aware Kuroko was the only one still in the house.

Think, think, where would Akashi hide it? The kitchen had to be the absolute worst room in the house with all the drawers and cabinets, it could be anywhere.

“Thirty seconds!” Akashi’s voice called out down the hall.

Kuroko tried to think out side of the box, it would be too cliché for him to simply put it in a drawer or cabinet, right?

“Fifteen seconds.” Akashi’s voice came closer.

Wait, why was his voice closer?

Kuroko whipped around to find Akashi standing in the kitchen.

“That’s not fair.” Kuroko scolded before it dawned on him. Akashi had the knife, Akashi was in the kitchen, the knife is in the kitchen. He swore under his breath as he caught a glimpse of the knife in Akashi’s sweatshirt pocket.

“Come now Kuroko, you have a few seconds before I pull the gun.” Akashi said mockingly.

With that Kuroko lunged and Akashi skillfully dodged him.

“Ten, nine, eight…” Aomine said while standing near the door, Murasakibara following behind.

Of course, Akashi would warp the rules; it was his game after all.  
Kuroko calmed down and decided to attempt a real move instead of desperately trying to grab for Akashi. He made a turn, as if he was going to flee, then quickly came up behind Akashi. He franticly grabbed for the knife, but dropped it with cry as he accidentally electrocuted himself in the process.

“Five, four, three…” Aomine called out while Akashi chuckled under his breath.

Kuroko regained himself, scooped up the knife, and headed for the door as fast as he could. How embarrassing, Akashi let him escape.


	2. The Darkness and the Guests

With crunch after crunch and snap after snap Midorima ran as fast as he could to create as much distance between himself and Murasakibara as he possibly could. Already he was growing frustrated of this game and it had only just started. It was not so much that he found the game particularly bothersome, more so, the fact that he was one of the ones to draw a short straw. Really, the perpetrator had a much better advantage due to the fact they had a gun and could shoot from a distance. Midorima growled under his breath. Perhaps it was staged and Akashi made it so the ones he felt were weaker were the ones to become the victims. It really would be just like Akashi to do so.

Crunch, snap, crash! Midorima hit the ground hard as his foot caught on a stray root.

“Shit!” he cursed as he began to pick himself up. Covered now, head to toe in dirt, he brushed himself off as best as he could. The tape around his fingers had been ripped and strained and he hoped to god that he did not accidentally mess up any of his nails. He looked behind himself to see if Murasakibara had caught up. Thankfully no one was in sight; it would have been embarrassing if anyone saw that display. He quickly examined the area for a place to hide, but no area provided coverage for someone his size; he would have to find somewhere else to go. He could circle around and attempt to catch Murasakibara from behind which would help move the game along. Despite not wanting to play, he definitely had no intention of losing. Settling on that idea he turned to run and realized he no longer had his knife. He riddled off a series of curses under his breath realizing he must have dropped it in the fall. He fell to his knees and frantically began looking for the toy weapon. Where did it go? He dug at the leaves and tossed around branches but got increasingly worried the longer it was taking him to find it.

“Midorimacchi, leaving yourself out in the open doesn’t seem very smart.”

Midorima whipped around to find Kise hovering over him.

“Moron. I thought you were Murasakibara.” He growled, trying not to show how startled he had been.

Kise dropped to his knees beside Midorima. “Lose something?”

“The knife. I dropped it when running.” He answered coolly.

“Right.” Kise laughed, observing the amount of dirt that covered Midorima.

Midorima scoffed in response.

They both began searching attempting to be aware of their surroundings.

“It’s weird don’t you think? That Akashi sent us out so close to sundown.” Kise commented.

“That’s Akashi for you. Considering he didn’t give us flashlights I assume he will have us come in when it gets too dark. I imagine he was getting annoyed with our energy and is simply having us release it. I doubt training was his intention, it just seemed to work in his favor.”

“I suppose.” Kise frowned while continuing to help Midorima search. “Wait, I think I found it!” He said while reaching under a decomposing log. “Seems like some force was put in to it for it to be able to end up all the way over here.” Kise mocked.

“Shut up!” Midorima snatched the knife from Kise’s hand. “And thanks.” He mumbled.

“No problem.” Kise said with a smile.

Midorima glanced at him. “Let me guess, you don’t want to be alone?”

“Er… of course that’s not why I helped you! Can’t I just be a good person?” Kise responded nervously.

Midorima stared and shook his head. “That’s just like you.” He stated before whipping around.

“What is it?” Kise questioned.

“Run!” Midorima yelled while shoving him away.

Kise gasped and began sprinting off when he caught sight of Aomine heading their direction.

Midorima sighed and searched the area for sight of Murasakibara. Thankfully Murasakibara’s size would make him quick to notice. He turned back around and in an instant felt an intense surge of electricity run through his body. He opened his mouth, but nothing but a breathless gasp came out and he dropped to his knees.

“Eh. I couldn’t figure out what you two were doing at first. Whatever it was, it allowed me to sneak around. Made things a lot easier; I don’t want to put much effort in to this. Murasakibara towered over the stunned Midorima.

“How the Hell did you-!?” Midorima staggered back to his feet.

“Your glasses not good enough?” Murasakibara questioned while casually unwrapping a lollipop and putting it in his mouth.

Midorima looked up at him. He was so calm and that was terribly annoying. Could he take anything seriously?

“Murasakibara?” Midorima whispered his name.  
“Huh?” He replied nonchalantly before receiving an intense electric shock that started from his left side. He reeled back only to lose his balance and come crashing to the ground.

“And now we’re even.” Midorima scoffed.

Murasakibara let out a loud whine. “I don’t want to play this anymore.”

“Tsk. Neither do I, but we can’t go against Akashi.” Midorima responded.

“Can’t we just hang around then claim one of us won? It’s going to be dark soon anyway.” Murasakibara sighed. “I don’t like games that require too much energy.”

“Sure. However, if that is the case, we’re saying I won.” Midorima turned to walk away.

Murasakibara quickly got up. “Wait…” He considered it. “Can’t we just say you lost your knife? Leave it behind. It wouldn’t be fair to continue without it.”

Midorima rolled his eyes. “Let’s just walk back towards the house then we’ll decide, okay?”

Murasakibara nodded and went to follow Midorima. They both made their way back towards the house to regain themselves, but Midorima stopped dead in his tracks after a few minutes.

“Murasakibara? Which way did we come from?” He questioned, confused when he no longer could see the house in the distance. He had sworn that they did not travel that far out, and he should be able to see it from where they were.

“Uhm.” Murasakibara looked around. “I am pretty sure we’re going the right way. I mean, that’s where I came from, I am positive. I don’t see the house though, did we get turned around somehow?”

“I guess so.” Midorima responded, but was unconvinced. He looked around, but could not see the house in the distance, no matter which direction he looked. “No. No, this doesn’t make sense we did not travel that far. Why can’t we see the house?” He began to look around frantically.

“Should we try to find the others?” Murasakibara suggested concerned.

Midorima hesitated. “Yeah.” He whispered before turning around. “Kise! Aomine!” He cried out while running the direction Kise and Aomine had dashed off towards.

Murasakibara frowned before following shortly behind.

* * *

 

“Kise!” Aomine yelled while aiming the gun and shooting.

“Aominecchi may be a descent shot at basketball, but he sure can’t shoot a gun.” Kise called back while laughing at Aomine’s incompetence to shoot straight.

Aomine growled. “It doesn’t help that you’re running like a scared animal you coward!”

Kise gasped as he came to an edge of the ravine that made a dangerous plunge and realized he was cornered.

Aomine let out a laugh. “Well, well, looks like I’ve cornered you.” He mocked.

Kise looked around for a somewhere he could run, but Aomine was already too close. “Ah, please don’t.” Kise stated quietly.

“Oh? Was that begging I heard? You’ll have to do better than that.” Aomine scoffed.

Kise considered it a moment, but began to panic as Aomine got closer. “Please don’t. Please don’t shoot me! I’ll do anything!” He began to beg pathetically. He really did not want to be shot, even if it was only electricity. He also did not want to lose and with the sun going down soon, he would have a better advantage against Aomine and taking a shot this soon in the game would be bad.

“Anything? Hmm…” Aomine thought for a moment. “I’m your stalker right? So maybe I should have you do me a favor now that I have your attention?”

Kise scowled. “Way to take Akashicchi seriously.”

Aomine shrugged. “Hey, it’s a game. Why not play it fully?” He aimed his gun at Kise’s chest. “Put down your knife.” He ordered.

Kise hesitated, but slowly put his knife down on a pile of leaves.

Aomine smirked while striding closer and whipping Kise away from the edge.

Kise yelled as he was jerked forward and found himself pinned up against a tree.

“If you want mercy, kiss me.” Aomine stated bluntly while gripping Kise tightly.

Kise let out a laugh. “Oh my god Aominecchi don’t take this so seriously, I don’t think that was Akashicchi’s intentions!”

“Wow.” Aomine said with a scowl.

“What? It’s not like Akashicchi is watching us, you don’t have to be so serious.”

“Wow.” Aomine repeated while letting go of Kise.

“What? What’s wrong?” Kise frowned, as Aomine seemed to be glaring at him.

Aomine rolled his eyes. “Nothing, idiot. It’s nothing.”

“No really, what. You’re mad.”

“You just seem so incredibly disinterested, it’s pretty damn discouraging.”

“Er, I wouldn’t say that. You were joking though, right?”

Aomine didn’t respond and simply stared intently at the blonde.

“Oh…” Kise breathed out when realization hit him.

“Yeah.” Aomine stated with a scoff while taking a few steps back from Kise.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Kise stuttered out, a bit flustered.

“Tch, don’t be. Please just forget this entire situation happened.”

“Sure, will do, but only after-” Kise said while leaning in to place a kiss on Aomine’s lips.

Aomine was surprisingly quick to respond and Kise found himself pinned back up against the tree. Aomine has always been aggressive and straightforward, so Kise was not surprised when he felt Aomine’s tongue glide across his lips. Kise chuckled before opening his mouth lightly and allowed Aomine’s tongue to enter his mouth. Kise let out a light moan and Aomine pulled away abruptly.

“Ah, I’m sorry I-” Kise began, but Aomine pushed a finger to his lips.

“Don’t, it’s not you.” Aomine stated.

“Wait, you’re not still with… Kuroko are you?” Kise questioned hesitantly.

Aomine let out a laugh which startled Kise. “Oh god no. That ended back in middle school. Do we still seem like it? Hell, I am lucky if I can get him to stand next to me anymore.”

“Then what is it?”

“Erm. Maybe it’s because I fucked up so bad with Tetsu, but I just don’t want to do anything we may regret, y’know?”

“But it was your idea in the first place. Do you regret it?” Kise frowned.

“Ah shit.” Aomine swore when he realized how it sounded. “It’s not like that, I didn’t mean it that way I just…” He let out a sigh. There was no way; he already began digging his own grave. He was always so bad at this. With that he leaned in and put his lips back on Kise’s.

Kise smiled slightly as he wrapped his arms around Aomine’s neck. What a cruel joke if this is simply a game to him. He pulled him in closer this time inserting his tongue in to Aomine’s mouth.

“Kise…” Aomine moaned.

“Kise!” A voice cried out.

“What?” Kise questioned, unaware of what was going on.

“Kise we- oh my god.” Midorima choked out while approaching the two.

Aomine yanked back startled.

“That was part of the game, right?” Murasakibara questioned childishly.

“Uhm, duh.” Aomine scoffed out while eyeing an incredibly embarrassed Kise.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Midorima rubbed his eyes. “We don’t have time for this. It’s suppose to be getting dark soon and we may or may not have a problem.”

“What do you mean ‘supposed’ to be getting dark? And what’s the problem?” Aomine questioned, annoyed.

“Maybe my judgment of time is off, but it should be almost completely dark by now. We’ve definitely lost sunlight, enough to impair some vision, however it’s not nearly as dark as it should be. Maybe I am wrong, but we’ve been out here at least an hour, right?” Midorima stated.

“Yeah, at least. We’ve all been aimlessly running around, and you know, searching for knives.” Kise commented with a snicker.

Midorima rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. If that’s the case it should be about six.” He reached in to his pocket and pulled out his phone. “This isn’t right.” He stated.

“What’s wrong?” Murasakibara questioned.

“My phone says it’s still five, even though that’s about the time we started the game.”

Aomine reached in to his pocket and pulled out his phone as well. “Aw hell, so does mine.”

“Maybe it’s the reception? We are kind of in the middle of nowhere.” Kise stated.

“Maybe? But usually that only effects messaging and calling.” Aomine responded.

“Maybe we should head back.” Kise suggested while picking up his knife.

“That’s what we came to tell you.” Midorima put his phone back in to his pocket. “When I stopped to look for the knife I am positive I could still see the house in the distance, I really didn’t go far. However, when I suggested returning with Murasakibara, we couldn’t find the house. Maybe we got turned around, but I find it weird that we can’t see it at all.” Midorima informed. He was really skeptical about it all, it was not logical, but that still did not change the fact that the house seemed to completely vanish.

Kise and Aomine looked at each other before looking around their area. Nothing looked familiar and they too could not see the house in the distance.

“This is bullshit.” Aomine spat. “Do you think Akashi has something to do with it?”

“I don’t know how Akashi can make a house disappear, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some sort of trick to it.” Midorima said.

“Maybe we should split up? We all have cell phones, right? I am sure we’re bound to see it.” Murasakibara suggested.

“What about Kuroko and Akashi? Shouldn’t we find them first? I mean this is Akashi’s place after all, I am sure he knows what is up.” Aomine asked.

“I don’t know I think I rather find the house first.” Murasakibara said.

“We can split up and find the house and if we happen to come across them then so be it.” Midorima commented.

They all nodded.

“I’ll go north. Murasakibara go east, Kise go west, Aomine go south. Keep your phones on you.” Midorima instructed as he pulled out a blue handkerchief and tied it to a tree. “Meet back here if you feel you are making no progress. Try to be time aware and if anything seems weird, come back. Got it?” He said.

“Right.” They agreed before quickly turning and running off in their given directions.

The wind blew and the handkerchief danced as its edges frayed and stains made their way on to it. As if many days of wear had been put on it in a matter of a few minutes, the cloth deteriorated and was lost in the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am heading off to a 10 day trip and really wanted to get this posted before leaving. I did a huge rush job, I apologize, and I may fix it up when I get home. However, it's already been a while since I first posted so I really wanted to get it up. I am sorry!


	3. Unseen Devils

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry this took so long! ;-; I am not please how this chapter came out, however, because it has been so long since I have updated I decided to just post it.
> 
> Trigger Warning!: asphyxiation/choking & slight dub-con

Kuroko situated himself behind a large tree trying to avoid Akashi’s potential line of vision. He hoped he could gain an advantage over Akashi with his lack of presence, but had a feeling that would not be the case. Akashi discovered him after all. He liked the idea of the game at first, but Akashi was giving off an ominous vibe; one which Kuroko did not like. He could not place it exactly, something just felt off. Akashi was very skilled and would not be taken by surprise easily, if at all. He was the type that was always 3 steps ahead of you, so Kuroko would have to choose his moves carefully. Chances were Akashi already had an idea of what sort of move Kuroko would make first. Kuroko peered from behind the tree. No sign of him yet which seemed a little strange given the fact that Akashi should have been right behind him. Kuroko could not help but feel a tinge of embarrassment at the thought of Akashi going easy on him. Kuroko sighed as he leaned against the tree.

“Tetsuya.”

Kuroko’s whipped around as he heard his given name spoken gently. A surge of panic went through out him as he caught sight of Akashi. Should he run? It was probably a useless thought, there was no way Akashi would miss at this point.

“Akashi…” Kuroko said his name in response, trying to hide his unease. Did Akashi just call him by his given name...?

Akashi was not who he used to be and it sometimes was a gamble of who they would end up dealing with. Akashi suffered a mental break a few years back and became the Emperor for the rest of middle school and all of first year high school. However, during the beginning of second year high school, Akashi #1 seemed to reappear. Lately Akashi #1 has hung around, however, he was extremely touchy and could be triggered in an instant. When asked about it, Akashi denied that there was anything wrong, whereas the Emperor said it was because _he_ was too weak to handle it alone. No one knows why the Emperor gave Akashi back majority of the control, he never said, and would always ignore the question. Sometimes you could see Akashi struggling with himself, but he would continue to deny that there was a problem. Rumors flew that the switch back to Akashi #1 was triggered by a fight with his father, which was not unlikely. Presumably, the Emperor realized he was not good enough either and dumped the emotional devastation Akashi #1 instead. Some said it was just the result of a medication, however, the Generation of Miracles knew Akashi would never allow himself to be medicated. Not willingly, anyway.

Kuroko looked Akashi dead in the eyes and chills went through his body. _Calm down, it’s just a game._

Akashi cocked his head curiously. “Are you going to run? Or are you really going to beg so early in the game?”

Kuroko just stared. He really was not sure. He knew he would have to play rough in order to win the game, however, that posed a risk of dragging out the Emperor further.

“What do you want me to do?” As soon as the words left his mouth he instantly regretted it.

A smirk instantly grew on Akashi’s face as he leaned and whispered, “Run.”

Kuroko’s heart skipped a beat as he felt Akashi’s breath against his face.

“Yes, sir.” Kuroko breathed out without thinking.

He did as he was told and ran with Akashi close behind.

* * *

 

Kise looked around at his surroundings. He did not go far, but found himself near a creek he had not noticed before. The surroundings were so strange, it almost seemed like they were changing. That was impossible, right? That can not possibly happen. That did not mean he was not starting to panic. There was still no sign of the house and it seemed as if anything, he was getting farther from it. He looked around once more before deciding to return to their meet-up point; there was no point in continuing.

* * *

 

Kuroko did not know how long he had been running. Akashi would sometimes catch up, toss him about, but then let him go without shooting. It was like a cat playing with a mouse and was beginning to drive Kuroko crazy. It was exhausting and humiliating so finally Kuroko decided to stop and Akashi came up behind him.

“Giving up so soon Tetsuya?” Akashi questioned darkly.

Kuroko remained silent.

“Well it seems I will have to punish you then since I did not order you to stop.” Akashi said while walking around him slowly to look him in the face.

“I suppose so.” Kuroko commented as he watched Akashi reach for his gun.

_It’s just a game, it’s just a toy, this isn’t real._ Kuroko repeated these words to himself.

Akashi aimed the gun at Kuroko’s chest and pulled the trigger.

The shock had been more intense than he expected it would be and Kuroko gasped as he hit the ground. He let out a slight groan as he went to stand up, but it was stopped short by Akashi’s hand.

“You don’t think that is it, do you?” Akashi glared down with an overwhelming intensity as he pulled the trigger once more.

Kuroko let out another audible gasp.

“Tetsuya, you better know your place.” Akashi stated in a hushed tone.

Kuroko’s looked up after regaining himself and locked eyes with Akashi. They were cruel and yet somehow dead. Kuroko cursed. No… this was exactly what he feared. This was exactly what he did not want to happen.  
He was not playing with Akashi. He was playing with the Emperor.

Akashi flipped a switch on the side of the gun. “Let me remind you who is in control here.” He said while shooting at Kuroko once more.

A rush of electricity far stronger than the last two shots surged through Kuroko and he let out a loud cry.

_The gun had settings? How cruel. How... dangerous._

Akashi put his foot on Kuroko’s shoulder and kicked him backwards. Before he could regain himself Akashi was on top of him, straddling his hips, and pressing the gun to his chest. Kuroko opened his mouth to protest, but Akashi had already fired. Kuroko cried out in pain and attempted to push Akashi away, but it was in vain as Akashi’s hands made their way around Kuroko’s throat.

“Akashi!” Kuroko managed to gasp out while trying to pry Akashi off of himself.

“Beg.” Akashi stated while loosening his grip a bit.

“No.” Kuroko responded, not wanting to give him that sort of satisfaction.

Akashi tightened his grip and Kuroko attempted to kick him off. The position they were in made it so it was useless and Akashi did not flinch. Discomfort swelled in his chest and throat as oxygen was cut off and the weight of Akashi’s hands around his throat. He desperately began to claw at Akashi’s wrists, but Akashi did not seem to mind, despite the deep scratches and blood that was beginning to form.

_Did he truly want him dead?_

Finally Akashi let go with a sigh while picking the gun back up.

Kuroko gasps for air and his head spun making it difficult to try and escape the position Akashi had him in.

“Very well, I see you still insist on playing it the hard way.”

There was another click as Akashi flicked a switch on the gun and Kuroko went wide-eyed in horror. He had no time to react before Akashi had the gun, at his chest, and pulled the trigger. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out as be bucked his hips which made contact with Akashi’s.

Akashi laughed.

Tears had formed in his eyes and Kuroko desperately tried to blink them away. However he was too late and Akashi noticed. His hands trailed down his cheek, wiping away the tears, and brushed against his lips.

“Now you see who’s in control, don’t you?” He whispered while leaning down.

Kuroko did not move. He had already made way too many mistakes by trying to fight him. It pained him to see Akashi this way, it really did. He did not resent him for anything that the Emperor did and believed Akashi was just as much as a victim to his ways as anyone else. Or, maybe, that was just what made him feel better about the situation.

Without warning Akashi’s lips met with Kuroko’s. It was gentle, much like the way Akashi #1 would kiss him. For a moment he could have had him fooled, but it was quick to become more aggressive. He felt Akashi’s tongue glide over his lips and complied by parting them not wanting to further antagonize the situation and just prayed he would let him go soon. He felt sick as the memories of before flooded him.

Despite his dominating personality, Akashi #1 always had a gentleness to him. Those times after practice when he would find himself alone in the locker room with Akashi were more than enough for him to discover that. He would stay after practice to try and improve his skills only to find Akashi had stayed behind to get some club things organized. Akashi was always the one to make the first move, gently pushing him up against the locker, but allowing Kuroko time to respond on his own as well. There was a playful innocence to it, and it actually made Kuroko feel, dare he say, loved. Or, at least, noticed. Everything was lost, however, when the Emperor took over. Kuroko often wondered if the Emperor even had a concept of what went on between him and Akashi. Was it really possible for mutual respect to turn to a need to dominate? He truly believed he was two people and he wanted nothing more than to call out to Akashi, the original Akashi, but that would only anger the Emperor further.  
Kuroko tried to imagine himself elsewhere, attempting to avoid thought of the current situation, when Akashi stopped suddenly. Kuroko opened his eyes to find Akashi staring back at him, terrified.

_Scared? Why was he scared?_

Kuroko did not have time to ask questions before Akashi quickly got off of him and started mumbling incoherently.

“Akashi?” Kuroko breathed out.

“Run. You need to run!” He demanded. This time he was not playing.

“Akashi I-”  
“I said run, Kuroko!”

Kuroko quickly got to his feet. “Please stay here I am going to go find the others.” Kuroko stated before turning to run.

He felt bad leaving him behind, but at the same time, he could not be more relieved.

The Emperor was a monster, and Akashi would not have control for long.


	4. The Golden Murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hot damn, it's been a while hasn't it? There are like a million reasons as to why I didn't update. I had gotten busy, and I decided to go on hiatus for a while until the manga ended (since there was information that was happening, that directly effected the storyline of this fic) after it ended, I lost motivation, on top of my computer's keyboard breaking. It's still broken. It's only been recently that I've had access to a different computer. My biggest issue though was probably the complete loss motivation. I originally was going to simply discontinue this fic, but I had too many positive responses. So here I am. I have no idea where I am going with this fic, and I am basically starting the concept from scratch with only a few notes, so I apologize. This chapter was just sitting on my computer, halfway done, so I at least had something to work with. I don't like it, and it's quite short, but at least it's something. I also mentioned "Slight AU" before, but because of the way the manga played out, and my lack of desire to change information regarding the fic, take this story as a complete AU - especially when it comes to Akashi and his personality switch.  
> Also, I noticed the formatting is different on this chapter. I will probably go back and change the previous chapters to this style formatting - it's easier to read.
> 
> TLDR: I'm a piece of shit with no motivation, but I am back anyway, please forgive me.

There was a loud snapping sound as twigs broke and leaves were turned up. Kise whipped around, unsure of what it may be. Honestly, outside of their own footsteps, there was very little noise. It was if there was barely any wildlife, if any at all, which lead to an ominous silence that, when broken, was startling. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized it was Kuroko. Thank God, that was one of them at least.

“Kurokocchi!” He called out, but his relief was soon washed out of him when he saw the look of terror on Kuroko’s normally placid face.

Kuroko turned to Kise and quickly made his way over.

“Are you okay? You look hurt! Did you fall? What happened?” Kise began questioning rapidly.

Kuroko shook his head. “It’s Akashi. He’s not really Akashi; he’s the emperor and-” Kuroko trailed off trying to catch his breath.

“And what? Did he do something to you?” Kise was never one for conflict or getting worked up over situations, however, the tone in Kuroko’s voice indicated there was a serious problem and Kise was finding it hard not to be a bit angry at Akashi.

Kuroko shook his head. “He’s upset with me.”

Kise frowned. “Seriously Kuroko, did he hurt you?”

Kuroko nodded slowly and anger bubbled up.

“Please don’t be upset Kise. Akashi doesn’t have control; it’s not his fault. We just need to get help.” Kuroko pleaded.

“I don’t want to upset you any further, but we do have a situation. We don’t know if it’s some sort of trick Akashi is pulling, but no one can seem to find the house. Considering we didn’t move very far, it seems pretty strange. I honestly don’t know how it’s possible, but we are all concerned. We split up to look for you and Akashi so we can work things out.” Kise explained.

Kuroko frowned before glancing around the surroundings. He had to admit, it did seem as if there was no end to the vast woodland, despite the fact that originally the woods did not appear to be that immense upon entering. He looked back up at Kise. “I don’t think Akashi is going to be of much use to us right now.”

“Maybe we can get him to snap back in to being the real Akashi?”

Kuroko simply shrugged.

“We made a meet-up point not far from here. If you continue straight on there should be a piece of cloth tied to a tree. We can head back there and wait for the others and figure out what we want to do about Akashi.” Kise suggested.

Kuroko nodded. “That’s sounds good.”

All the needed to do was re-group and everything would be okay. Right? Then why was Kise getting a feeling of dread? He was such a child about things like this, he knew he should not have played.

Both of them turned to leave when a voice called out.

“Tetsuya?”

Kuroko froze in place and Kise turned to face who had called out his name.

“Kuroko?” Kise whispered.

Kuroko glanced at Kise in response.

“I want you to leave, okay? Just walk straight until you come across a blue handkerchief and wait there. I will handle Akashi until you have made some distance; I don’t want him bothering you anymore.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Kuroko commented. Despite wanting to do what Kise asked, he also did not want anything similar to what happened to him happening to Kise.

“Please. If you happen to find the others before I catch up just send them this way, okay?” Kise encouraged. “I’ll be fine. If I think there is a problem, I’ll immediately come after you.”

Kuroko hesitated, but nodded in agreement. “Please be safe.”

“I will.” Kise said while nudging Kuroko away.

Kuroko dashed off, glancing behind himself a few times before disappearing through the woods.

Kise had made sure Kuroko was out of hearing range before speaking, “What’s wrong with you?” He called out.

Akashi did not answer as he came closer.

“You hurt him! Why would you do that?”

“I didn’t do it…” Akashi answered.

“Yeah, because he made that up?” Kise questioned sarcastically. “Look we need to re-group. No one wants to play anymore. Something weird is going on and we really aren’t comfortable staying out here.”

Akashi cocked his head.

“Are you listening?” Kise scolded.

“Do you really think you should be talking to me that way, Ryouta?” Akashi scowled.

“I’m sorry, it’s just we’re all really worried and you are…” Kise realized he had instigated the situation a moment too late.

“I’m what?” Akashi questioned while coming closer.

“You’re not you.” Kise answered weakly.

_You have lost your sense of individuality and you cannot tell the difference between the personalities you wear._

“What is that suppose to mean?” Akashi scoffed.

“You’re not you! That’s all it means. This… this switch between you and the emperor, I know it’s not something you can control, but you’re hurting us. You attacked Kuroko. Why? Why would you do that? Emperor or not?”

_You are investing too much in to a situation, which you cannot control._

“I am Akashi Seijuro! No one else!”

Kise took a few steps back. “Okay, it’s fine, I get it. Please let’s just go meet with the others and we can sort out any disagreement later.”

_Do something about it._

Kise turned around to head back to their meet up point only to have Akashi grab his wrist and yank him back. Kise let out a startled cry as he tried to pull away.

“I’m sorry!” Kise apologized while still attempting to shake Akashi’s grip.

Akashi said nothing as he yanked him forward.

Kise hit the ground and tumbled down the small hill that they were standing on and hit the water with a splash.

Kise gasped as the cool water soaked him head to toe and we made an attempt to get up. His movements were cut short when Akashi came down and joined him only to shove him back in to the water.

With crippling fear Kise realized what Akashi was doing and desperately thrashed about in attempt to escape. With enough force he was able to break away momentarily and he scrambled away from Akashi’s grip. Akashi reached for Kise who instinctively kicked him back in attempt to put some distanced between them. Kise felt rocks and debris sliding out from under his feet making it hard to regain his bearings.

“Kuroko!” He screamed, hoping that the younger one was still with in hearing range, though he knew it was a long shot.

Akashi quickly came alongside Kise and grabbed his wrists, attempting to throw him back down.

Kise managed to keep his footing and tried to throw Akashi down, in hopes of being able to restrain him until the others made it over.

“Akashi! Stop! You’re going to severely hurt me!” Kise tried to reason, though he knew it was no use. He also acknowledges that hurt was probably an understatement; Akashi could kill him.

There was no response and just when Kise thought he had the upper hand, a rock rolled out from under his foot, causing him to lose his balance.

Before he could bring himself in to a more defensive position, Akashi was back on top of him, this time he had Kise pinned face down. Once more Kise found himself submerged under the water and raw panic began to overwhelm him. He thrashed around desperately, but like a nightmare, it felt as if he physically did not have the capacity to fight or defend. His eyes burned and he imagined he was probably crying. Akashi pulled him up for a brief moment, but Kise felt like he was frozen. Nothing, he became nothing. Then everything began to fade.

* * *

 Kuroko continued to walk, but saw no sign of the handkerchief, which Kise mentioned. Maybe he had passed it? Maybe he should turn around and find Kise? Kuroko sighed and went to turn around when he heard a loud snap. Still worked up from earlier he let out a startled cry while whipping around.

“Tetsu, it’s just me!” Aomine walked quickly over to the startled Kuroko. “You’re really on edge, is everything okay?”

Kuroko shook his head. “It’s Akashi. The emperor is back, and he’s pissed to say the least. Kise said he’d handle him, but I think we need to go find them, since it doesn’t appear that he is following behind me.”  
Aomine frowned. “Ah, I see. Did he do something to you?”

Kuroko said nothing.

Aomine scoffed. “He did, didn’t he? That bastard.”

“We really should go get Kise. He’s a little ways from here down by the creek.”

Aomine nodded while following Kuroko back towards where Kise and Akashi had been.

* * *

 “Kurok-!” Kise attempted to call out before choking once more. Drenched head to toe he leaned against a tree trying to regain himself. He let out a few strangled breaths be before attempting move again. Where did Akashi go? He looked around and found no sight of him and headed towards the direction where Kuroko had originally left. Something felt strange. He could not quite place it, but it was almost like he did not belong. He was not sure when he broke away from Akashi or how he pulled himself out of the water, but he did not give it much thought. He would worry about the unease once he found help.

“Hey! Anybody!” He called out to the best of his ability.

“Kise!” There is a distant reply, which sounded a lot like Aomine.

Kise sighed in relief. “Aomine! Kuroko!” He called out while heading towards the sound of the voices.

“Kise!” The voice called out again, this time a little more distance.

No no no, why were they getting further away?

“Over here!” Kise cried out while ungracefully trying to run through the woods.

He heard his name being called, each time getting more and more distant.

Kise tripped and crashed to the forest floor. He began to let out a strangled gasp as he felt like he was, once again, drowning. He choked as he tried calling out for help and the voices now were near non-existent. His head began to spin as he struggled to draw in air. His chest tightened, his vision blurred, and he opened his mouth to cry out, but no sound left. The leaves around him seemed to liquidize and he grew more and more detached from his surroundings. Something was wrong, very wrong.

* * *

 Kuroko and Aomine frantically began to search for Kise, growing more and more desperate. Where was he? They were not that far away. Had something happened? Was he hurt? What did Akashi do?

Kuroko cringed at the thought of Akashi hurting Kise; he should have never left him alone. If anything happened to Kise, it was his fault.

“Kise!” Aomine called out before cursing.

“Maybe he’s hiding.” Kuroko suggested with false hope.

“Kise! Answer us!” Aomine called out, before shrugging to Kuroko. “I don’t know.”

“Kise! Please!” Kuroko cried, desperation leaking in to his usual calm demeanor.

“Be quiet for a moment.” Aomine ordered while placing a hand on Kuroko’s shoulder, listening for any sound of movement or a distant reply.

“Do you hear that?” Kuroko questioned.

Aomine gave him an odd look. “I don’t hear anything.”

“That’s just it. There’s nothing. No sound. No bugs, no small animals. There literally no sound outside of us.” Kuroko commented.

Aomine shuddered as a feeling of unrest shot though him. “Tetsu…” Aomine began, seeing how upset Kuroko was growing. “It’s going to be okay.” He reassured, but without conviction.

Kuroko barely acknowledged him before moving towards a hill that seemed to lead to a large creek.

Aomine followed closely behind.

“Kise! Kise!” Kuroko called out again while he made his way over to the area to peer over the small incline…

* * *

 Kise felt his lungs burn as darkness over took him completely. Water surrounded him, soaking him, chilling him to the core. His lips tried to move, but nothing happened. There was nothing, but darkness. He felt a pleasant numbness wash over him as someone’s horrified scream filled the air.

It did not matter, however, for Kise had never left the water and his soul had already fled.

* * *

  _"He was investing too much in to a situation, which he could not control. You could say he felt like he lost his sense of individuality, and couldn't  tell the difference between the personalities he wore."_

 _"Seijuro? Seijuro!_ _Why didn't you do something about it?"_


	5. The Darkness After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, it's been over a year. I'm not going to lie, I've completely lost all inspiration and motivation for this story, but I am still getting a lot of positive feedback on it.  
> At this point I'm so disconnected for KNB and the characters that I don't even trust anything to be in character, and I apologize for that. I'm so disappointed in this entire piece, I wish I could go back and re-do it. Oh well, that will never happen so, I guess here you go. 
> 
> This is a shorter chapter, but I really just wanted to put something out.
> 
> Warning: Blood and mild body horror

A horrified scream filled their air as Kuroko stood near the creek and saw the sight before him. There, face down in the water, laid Kise. Aomine jumped, startled, at the pained cry and quickly ran over to where Kuroko stood. He stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of what had alarmed Kuroko so greatly. Neither moved for a moment, barely able to process what they were seeing, before Kuroko finally snapped back in to it, and ran over to Kise while praying that he was still alive. He quickly pulled Kise out of the water and dragged him over to dry land.

His lips were blue, his face pale, and his skin very cold.

“Kise!” Kuroko screamed, not wanting to admit that they were too late. He straddled Kise, tipped his head back, and parted his mouth.

1, 2, 3, hands on chest, then warm lips met ice cold ones. Aomine watched as Kuroko began CPR, despite the fact that by now it was fruitless. He knew he should help, do something, _anything_ , but his body felt numb. He could not move and he felt like his head was spinning. Nothing around him felt real as he watched the scene before him unfold. It was a dream, right? This could not be happening, right?

After what seemed like an eternity he was able to approach a frantic, and exhausted Kuroko, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Tetsu…” Aomine whispered; he did not need to continue for Kuroko to know what he was trying to say.

Kise was gone.

Kuroko burst in to hysterical tears as Aomine pulled him off of Kise’s body. Seeing Kuroko like this was beyond disturbing to say the least. Aomine felt his body shaking as tears escaped his eyes as well, however, he felt like he could not bring himself to break down. Not yet. There was an overwhelming fear that they were all in danger. Grave danger. Adrenaline was coursing through him, while everything remained dreamlike, and he was overcome with the desire to get Kuroko out of there and fast.

“Tetsu. Tetsu!” He called out, while forcing Kuroko to look at him. “We need to get out of here, now! Akashi is probably close by and I have a bad feeling Kise is not his only target. You need to calm down-“ He was cut off as he choked a little on his own cry, while gripping Kuroko tightly.

Kuroko managed to calm down enough to stop the hysterics, though messy tears still streamed down his faced.

Aomine was silent for a moment before wrapping his hand around Kuroko’s wrist. “We need to go.” He restated, while he began quickly dragging Kuroko away from the scene.

Kuroko allowed himself to be lead by Aomine. Adrenaline was now overriding anguish and he too felt the need to get out of there, and fast.

They made their way through the woods quickly, before Kuroko finally pulled away from Aomine. “Where are we going?” He managed to ask.

Aomine looked around. “I was hoping to find our meet-up point. However, I’m… I’m not entirely sure where that is anymore.” He admitted while trying to regain his bearings.

Absolutely nothing looked familiar. Nothing at all.

Aomine ran his hands through his hair in frustration. What were they suppose to do now?

Kuroko reached in to his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, praying that there was some sort of reception.

Not only was there no reception, but it was dead.

“What the Hell is going on here?” Aomine growled.

Kuroko shook his head. “Let’s continue further, I want to get out of the area, once we’re farther away maybe one of us can climb a tree to get a better view of the area?”

Aomine nodded. They really didn’t have any other options at that point. He just hoped they could find Murasakibara and Midorima, being separated was now making him uneasy.

* * *

 

They both continued a little further before they heard footsteps that were not their own. Quickly, Aomine shot out his arm, stopping Kuroko in his tracks. He brought a finger up to his lips, indicating him to keep silent.

God he hoped Akashi hadn’t found them already.

They both glanced around looking for the source of the noise as they caught movement to their right.

Aomine slowly picked up a large rock, cupping it in his hand.

“What are you doing? You’ll kill him!” Kuroko said in a hushed tone.

Aomine scowled, but did not respond. Even if he did, would that be so bad? He murdered Kise for God’s sake!

Aomine quietly began to move towards the source of movement as someone stepped in to view.

Quickly, and with out much thought he raised his hand, along with the rock, full intention of bringing it down on presumably Akashi.

“Wait, wait, it’s me!” A voice cried out, stopping Aomine in his tracks right before impact.

“Midorima? What the Hell-” Aomine began. “I almost killed you!”

“Yeah I can see that, you idiot!” Midorima scolded while backing away.

“Why are you so jumpy?” Murasakibara asked, while joining them. “You look like Hell.”

“Seriously.” Midorima added with a click of his tongue. “Where’s Kise?”

Aomine and Kuroko looked at each other, unsure of whether or not they should tell them. They needed to know, but did they want to distress them like that right now?

Kuroko dropped his head as fresh tears began to come to the surface and Aomine felt himself beginning to lose composure as well. There was no use in lying.

“He… he’s dead.” He said, barely above a whisper.

“Excuse me?” Midorima questioned flatly. There was no way he heard what he think he heard.

“Kise is dead! He drowned!” Aomine affirmed, more forcefully than before.

Both Murasakibara and Midorima stood there, completely dumbfounded. No. No, no, no, that couldn’t be possible!

“W-what? Are you sure? I don’t understand…” Murasakibara began, hands trembling.

“Of course we’re sure! God, there was no saving him…”

“We have to call authorities!” Midorima cried, growing distressed. The whole situation seemed unreal.

“My phone is dead and there is no service, so unless someone else has service I don’t see how that’s possible.” Kuroko stated.

All three of them checked their phones to find, that in fact, theirs were also dead.

“What a fucking horrible coincidence.” Aomine scoffed out.

They all stood there quietly for a moment, completely unsure of what to do. They were lost; nothing was familiar, no phones, and no way to contact help. Their only hope would be Akashi, who seems to be completely out of touch with reality.

The sound of Murasakibara laughing broke the silence as they all turned to stare.

“A joke. This is a joke, right? A really elaborate prank. Funny guys, real funny.”

No one said anything for a moment. A ‘joke’ crossed their minds more than once, but even so there were things that simply weren’t making sense.

“Look, we just… need to stick together alright? We think… Akashi did it to him and we can’t risk him going after anyone else. There’s four of us and one of him; we can take him.” Kuroko stated, ignoring Murasakibara who had traded laughing for a soft cry.

“You really think Akashi murdered Kise?” Midorima questioned. Quite frankly, it didn’t surprise him all that much. If Akashi was the emperor than who knows what he was capable of.

Kuroko simply nodded and Midorima’s frown deepened.

Before they could figure out their next move, their attention was drawn to their left as someone joined them.

“Akashi…” Midorima breathed out.

He didn’t move, nor say a word.

They all glanced between each other, wondering how to approach him.

“Akashi, we should head back. I think something happened to Kise; we need to contact authorities.” Midorima continued, hope that they could get through to Akashi #1.

Akashi smirked slightly. “Oh? That’s unfortunate.”

“You son of a bitch!” Aomine yelled as he lunged towards him.

“Aomine, don’t!” Kuroko began, but it was too late.

Aomine shoved Akashi to the ground. Akashi responded with a laugh as he quickly rolled, avoiding Aomine’s grasp. He quickly stood up and aimed the gun Aomine and firing. Aomine cried out and fell backwards as everyone took a defensive position.

“Akashi, stop! Please…” Murasakibara began as he threw his arms around him to stop him.

Akashi thrashed, trying to break Murasakibara’s grip. The size difference proved to be a disadvantage for him as he found it near impossible to escape his grasp.

 

_You can’t stand the sense of powerlessness._

“Let go of me!” Akashi demanded as he threw his weight back, causing Murasakibara to lose his balance. They both stumbled back as Murasakibara lost his grip.

 

_Are you embarrassed?_

Both Kuroko and Midorima then proceeded to lunge at Akashi, not wanting him to gain the upper hand.  Akashi managed to evade them, but felt as Aomine’s hand wrapped around his wrist. He attempted to pull away, but with little result. Deep down he knew they had him out numbered.

 

_You’re a fool._

 

Akashi kicked out a leg, catching Aomine in the shin. It was just enough for him to loosen his grip enough for Akashi to slip out.

“Murasakibara, grab him!” Midorima yelled.

Before Akashi could put distance between them, he felt Murasakibara’s arms back around him.

 

_Fix it!_

Before Murasakibara could get a firm grip, Akashi threw his arm back, catching Murasakibara off guard as it collided with his jaw. With all his weight, Akashi threw himself in towards Murasakibara causing him to stumble backwards as his foot caught on some roots. Murasakibara had no time to catch himself as he hit the ground. In attempt to regain himself, he had turned, causing himself to fall face first, and smashing his face against a rock. For a moment everything was black as the taste of blood filled his mouth. Pain overcame him as he tried to pick himself up and brought his hand to his mouth. Blood poured out, slipping between his fingers, and on to the ground. He looked down, and to his horror he saw… teeth.

Oh god, no. That can’t be…

He slowly opened his mouth, bringing his fingers up to where his own teeth normally would be. In that moment he also became aware that several other teeth had come loose, while another had punctured straight threw his lip. He let out a distressed cry as he turned to look at the others for help.

However, when he turned, he only found Akashi.

“How dare you defy me, Atsushi…”

Murasakibara stared in horror as he desperately searched for the others.

“But this is my game.”

* * *

 

_You can’t stand the sense of powerlessness. You’re embarrassed and you’re a fool._

_“Seijuro, why didn’t you fix it?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of things are confusing; I promise it will make sense in the end (if I ever get that far, hah)


End file.
